Adam didn't know how much longer he could go on with everything going on around him. He was starting to run on fumes when he woke up the next morning, he did not sleep well at all, period. Adam couldn't stop thinking about what happened yesterday, when Nanette tried to go into the private rose garden. He knew that things could've gone so badly if his Aunt didn't stick her neck out for him. As Adam got ready for the day, his memories of his Aunt when he was a kid started to come back to him.

Adam remembered how worried he was meeting her because...well, she was his father's sister. All that worry was for nothing for, when he found out more about her, she was the complete opposite of his abusive father. Adam remember the little fun times he had with her, his cousin and his mother. As he thought about the past, he tried to keep the Beast out of it. All the Beast brought were nightmares to Adam, despite the fact that he was the Beast when Belle came into his life. The only times Adam allowed himself to remember the Beast...was when he started to treat Belle like herself.

Adam put the rest of his clothes on and decided to head down to breakfast before his memories filled up the rest of him. As Adam headed downstairs, Belle entered his mind. He wondered how she was doing, he was now beginning to think that the attack did more damage than he thought. He was thinking about the physical damage, but he was thinking more about the mental damage. Belle has told him a few times about what Anton had done to her, Adam can only guess what had happened this time to make her lock the door and not talk to anyone.

"Adam."

Adam raised his head when he heard his name, he saw Sagittarius coming towards him.

"What is it, cousin?" Adam asked.

"Nothing," Sagittarius answered, "I was leaving my room and saw you coming down the hall very slowly."

"There's a good chance that we're late for breakfast," Adam said, "everyone is probably waiting on us."

"You didn't sleep well, did you?" Sagittarius asked as the two of them walked to breakfast.

"No, I couldn't stop thinking about what happened yesterday. It could've gone so badly."

"Now you can really understand why I do not like the Comtesse, She does so much trouble and tries to blame someone else for it. Her daughters are like that as well."

"Well, so far, I don't think Mystique acts like her mother." Adam said.

"Don't let her fool you." Sagittarius said, "Her two daughters and son are just like her, no matter how nice they seem." Adam wasn't convinced about Mystique, it was hard to know if Sagittarius was telling the truth or he was jumping to conclusions, considering that Mystique's sister, Fantina, tried to destroy his relationship with Sapphire.

"All right," Adam said, "I'll keep my eyes and ears open."

"Good, now we better get down to breakfast before my mother starts shouting for us." Adam chuckled at his cousin's sentence.

When Adam and Sagittarius got to the dining hall, everyone was waiting outside the door. Henrietta was looking a little concerned and Nanette looked very upset.

"Is there...something wrong?" Adam asked his aunt, but before she said anything, Nanette spoke up.

"Who is she?"

"Nanette, keep quiet!" Henrietta quickly said.

"Who?" Adam asked, Henrietta quickly looked back.

"Someone is in the dining hall," Henrietta said, "I suggested we waited outside the room until you came down. I wanted to see if you know her."

"I might." Adam said.

"You should!" Nanette said in an angry voice, "She is sitting in the seat next to yours on the right! She is sitting in the Queen's spot!" When Adam heard that, he did not want to believe it because there was only one person who sat next to him on the right side of the table.

The table that was being used was the long table that was used when Adam first danced with Belle. After Adam was changed back to his human form, Belle always sat on his right side, she stopped sitting on the other end because she wanted to be near him. Adam didn't want to jump to conclusions until he saw her, but he knew that there was no one else who sits on his right side.

"Let me have a look." Adam said as he approached the door. He opened the door and went into the room, he didn't close the door where it clicked, but he did close it enough that no one can peek in. When Adam saw the table, there was someone sitting in the seat on the right side, he couldn't see who it was because all he could see was her back. He couldn't see what dress she was wearing, but he can tell that it was a spring green color. She was also wearing a hat with the same color and a pink rim. Adam swallowed whatever worries he had and said;

"Belle?"

The hat raised up and turned, that's when Adam saw that his hunch was right! It was Belle! She was smiling at him as she bent down. She grabbed something under the table with her left hand. It turns out it was a spring umbrella, Belle used it to stand up. When she did, Adam now saw what she was wearing. It was a spring green dress used for warm weather, she also was wearing these long dark green gloves that reached all the way up her shoulders.

"How...do I look, Adam?" she asked, Adam paused for minute before answering.

"Breathtaking." He answered as he walked up to her, Belle just closed her eyes and made a small laugh. "Nothing could express how much I wanted to see you again."

"I know I have some explaining to do," she sighed, "but now's not a good time for it."

"I know it's not," he said, "but...nothing could express how happy I am now that you're out here. Just answer one question."

"All right." Belle said, Adam then pointed to the umbrella. "Oh, that. Don't worry, I can walk, I just use this to help me up." Adam just smiled, nodded his head and went over to the door. He told everyone that they can come in, when they did, they all met Belle.

"May I introduce my fiancee, Lady Belle Arc-en-ceil." Adam said, Belle grabbed her dress with her left hand and curtsied.

"The pleasure is all mine." Henrietta said as she curtsied to Belle. Danton also bowed as his wife and daughter curtsied, the only one who didn't was Adelaide.

"I would curtsey, if I could." Adelaide said.

"It's okay, I understand." Belle said, noticing her pregnant body.

"Let's sit down and have some breakfast and we'll get to know you." Henrietta said walking over to the table, everyone else agreed and went to the table as well. Adam saw the look on his cousin's face and Sapphire's face, they couldn't believe that Belle was walking, let alone standing. Adam knew that it was true that...Anton...broke her legs, but he also knew that Rouge gave her a medicine that helped bones heal quicker.

While everyone was eating, Henrietta, Adelaide and Danton asked Belle a few questions about herself, Belle answered them as Adam smiled. Adam noticed that while Belle was eating, she was eating with her left hand only. He knew that Belle was right-handed, he was thinking that her right arm was still sore. Nanette didn't pay any attention to Belle, she wasn't interested in her...or at least until Adelaide asked a certain question.

"I don't mean to be rude, Belle," Adelaide said, "but I haven't come across your name among the courts."

"Oh, uh, that's because...I'm not among the courts." Belle answered.

"Belle came from a village." Adam said. When Nanette heard that, she choked on her orange juice and almost sprayed it all over the table.

"Mother, are you okay?" Mystique asked, trying to clean up.

"Yes," Nanette coughed, "I'm okay...just swallowed it wrong."

"You're sure?" Mystique asked.

"Positive." Nanette coughed again, but she lied. She didn't swallow the juice wrong, she was too shocked to hear that Henrietta's nephew is engaged to a peasant girl.

"Well back to what I was saying," Adelaide said, "I didn't mean to be rude."

"You weren't," Belle said after swallowing her food, "Last autumn, I got lost in the woods and Adam let me stay here for a night, but the next day, a storm came and nobody wouldn't let me leave until the storm passed." Adam couldn't believe how well Belle was doing with the lie she came up with, he wasn't expecting her to come up with such an idea. In fact, he didn't know what he was going to say if that question came up and he had to answer that.

"I must say that you've chosen a wonderful lady, my nephew." Henrietta said.

"You don't have to tell me twice." Adam said as he gently held Belle's left hand.

"Well, today I want to have a discussion with Adelaide, Danton and Nanette." Henrietta said, "You two boys can spend time with your beautiful ladies." Sapphire giggled when Sagittarius' face started to turn pink.

"Thank you, Aunt Henrietta." Adam said, Henrietta smiled and nodded her head.

"But before that discussion happens," she said, "I would like to talk to your beautiful fiancee, lady to lady, if that is okay with you, Belle?" Now Belle showed that she was nervous, she didn't know how to take talking to the Queen of the land by herself, but she knew that she had to try.

After breakfast, Queen Henrietta and Belle went outside. Henrietta could sense and see how nervous Belle was, but she plans to get rid of it.

"You look exactly how Adam described you." Henrietta said.

"Oh, he...talked about me?" Belle asked, twirling the open spring umbrella in her left hand.

"Just what you looked like and your interests." Henrietta answered.

"I hope that's all." Belle said, "My life isn't for the faint of heart."

"What do you mean?" Henrietta asked, "A beautiful girl such as yourself shouldn't have had a problem with life."

"Pardon me, my queen," Belle said with a somber tone, "things are never what they seem to be, not even life. The only thing I had in life...were parents and a cousin who cared about me. Adam was the first person outside my family to...actually love for who I was."

"Hmm, I see." Henrietta said, "You don't have to call me 'my queen', my name will do for me, especially since you'll soon be a part of the family."

"Very well then." Belle said.

"I'm not here to intimidate you, in fact, I don't mean to."

"You're much more different than I first thought you might be," Belle said, "but I said before, things are never what they seem to be."

"Adam tells me that you like to read." Henrietta said.

"Books were the only friends that I had, no one understood why I enjoyed books rather than my looks."

"Well, if it's any comfort to you," Henrietta said, "I approve women who take their brain over their looks." Belle just smiled at Henrietta's response.

"I hope that good things happen between us from now on." She said.

"Oh, don't worry," Henrietta said, "as long as you don't disrespect me, Adam or Sagittarius, we'll be on good terms. Now I think I need to talk to the others and have our discussion. I hope to talk to you later, Belle."

"I hope so too." Belle said as she and Henrietta walked back inside the castle.